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One-Pot Kale and Quinoa Pilaf

Author Notes:I initially developed this combination by combining sauteed kale with leftover quinoa, but have come up with a from-scratch method to cook both elements together perfectly. It satisfies the eternal resolution to eat healthy, teaming complete-protein quinoa with antioxidant-rich kale. And it's one-pot easy, making it a simple way to incorporate healthy eating into a worknight rotation. —deensiebat

Food52 Review: Deensiebat's pilaf breathes new life into a familiar classic. Both the quinoa and the hearty strips of lacinato kale (you can use chard or standard kale) crunch lightly between your teeth, and Meyer lemon juice and zest keep the quinoa from being bland. Fresh goat cheese and walnut oil just barely coat the warm pilaf, giving it a creamy, tangy finish, and toasted pine nuts lend some crunch. We love the technique of layering the quinoa and the kale and cooking it all in one pot. - A&M —The Editors

Serves: 2-4
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min

Ingredients

2
cups salted water

1
cup quinoa

1
bunch lacinato kale, washed and chopped into 1" lengths

1
meyer lemon, zested and juiced

2
scallions, minced

1
tablespoon toasted walnut oil

3
tablespoons toasted pine nuts

1/4
cup crumbled goat cheese

salt and pepper

In This Recipe

Directions

Bring the water to a boil in a covered pot. Add the quinoa, cover, and lower the heat until it is just enough to maintain a simmer. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then top with the kale and re-cover. Simmer another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to steam for 5 more minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking, take a large serving bowl and combine half of the lemon juice (reserving the other half), all of the lemon zest, scallions, walnut oil (you can substitute olive oil if you desire), pine nuts, and goat cheese.

Check the quinoa and kale when the cooking time has completed—the water should have absorbed, and the quinoa will be tender but firm, and the kale tender and bright green. If the quinoa still has a hard white center, you can steam a bit longer (adding more water if needed). When the quinoa and kale are done, fluff the pilaf, and tip it into the waiting bowl with the remaining ingredients. As the hot quinoa hits the scallions and lemon it should smell lovely. Toss to combine, seasoning with salt and pepper, and the remaining lemon juice if needed.

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433 Reviews

After 1 billion times on stovetop, I tried in the Instantpot, with 2c quinoa, 1.5c water, and 2 chopped bunches of kale piled on top (gotta double, am I right?). 1 min manual high pressure, 10 min natural release. It came out great! Honestly don’t know if it’s that much of a time saver, but it was fun to play.

With so many comments, I couldn’t tell if anyone else had given it a go - if so, at least the idea will be bumped up!

I love this as a base recipe, and make it all the time. Definitely go heavy on the lemon to add more flavor, and/or add more spices to taste. Another great trick to add flavor is to cook the quinoa in chicken stock vs water. This will add more depth of flavor to the overall dish.

Being no great fans of either kale or quinoa, I was surprised by how much we enjoyed this. The approach is quick, easy and endlessly adaptable: I sautéed some onion, red bell peppper, cherry tomatoes and garlic before adding the quinoa, and stirred in fresh parsley, mint and black olives at the end.

Wow! Just looking at the pictures and realized that I’ve been juicing lemons backwards for years....! Or have I been...? How do others who use the yellow lemon press juicer to squeeze their lemons? I thought you inverted them, flesh towards the straining end - no seeds and better force by enlisting the pressure from the peel.

I'd always done it the way you describe until a few months ago when I saw an article about cutting a tiny bit off both ends of the lemon to expose the flesh (*easiest to do this step before cutting it in half) & then placing the lemon half in the juicer like their photo suggests. It definitely yields the most juice!

I went to make this recipe last night but realised that I only had a bag of Quinoa and brown rice and a bunch of beet greens.Well it turned out delicious. It took a bit longed to cook but the result was a very substantial meal. I also used beet greens with the stems removed. The goat's cheese melted through the rice was wonderful.

Hmmm..I have to confess this dish does not look appealing to me. But after seeing all these great comments, particularly JK, I am going to give this dish a try. However, since I really dislike goat cheese, I will replace it with either feta, or a milder cheese like Queso Fresco. Looking forward to making it and hoping it really transforms, like JK, my diet. Thanks.

This recipe completely changed the way I eat. I've made it probably 100 times, but more than that it inspired me to start cooking for myself at home, completely transforming my diet and my bank account. I long since memorized the recipe but dug it up to say a huge thank you!

I have a question about the ingredient "toasted pine nuts" on the recipe "One Pot Kale and Quinoa Pilaf" from deensiebat. Would this recipe work with another, cheaper, nut? Pine nuts are VERY expensive.

I love this recipe and have made it a handful of times, already. my husband enjoys it, too, but he is not a cheese-lover. any suggestions for how to make this recipe without the cheese? or maybe with a cheese other than goat cheese? thanks!

How do I cut the Kale? It says 1" length... does that mean I should make 1" slices (strips) OR Keep the natural width and have wide but 1" in length pieces?
I'm sorry I know this is probably a stupid question.

How do I cut the Kale? It says 1" length... does that mean I should make 1" slices (strips) OR Keep the natural width and have wide but 1" in length pieces?
I'm sorry I know this is probably a stupid question.